


Moments

by AndWeMutate



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: First Kiss, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, M/M, Post-Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 08:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18426912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndWeMutate/pseuds/AndWeMutate
Summary: "In these quiet moments, Isa reminisces about times long since past. He remembers Lea then and he remembers moments and he can faintly recall the feelings attached. As he remembers, he finds himself staring at Lea. Time had not stolen that fond familiarity and for that, Isa was thankful. Despite all of the ugly things that had happened, all of the darkness and loss of self, he was still allowed to keep the one thing he cherished. Somehow, he was allowed to see Lea on the other side of jealousy and regret."Isa contemplates things he may or may not deserve.





	Moments

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in a day and beta'd by me so you know there's some errors, but this is also the first Kingdom Hearts thing I'm posting here so it's kind of important, quality aside. Either way, this has been something that's been in my head since beating Kingdom Hearts 3 so...here it is.
> 
> I'd also like to thank Brit for listening to me edit and yell and bitch about me not know how to spell for a few hours while I typed this up. You're a trooper and I love ya.

There’s a sense of calm that feels almost foreign. He waits for it to disappear, waits for it to fall to darkness. It wouldn’t have surprised him and as much as he’d like to believe it wouldn’t hurt him, he knew it would. To have found something like this, so imperfect and flawed but so perfect and beautiful in its own way, just to have it taken away? To be teased with a taste and denied? It would have hurt, maybe more than anything else ever had. 

Admittedly, privately, he’d braced himself for impact, ready for when it all fell apart. Perhaps it was morbid and looking on the brighter side would offer him a little comfort, but there was a part of him that clung to the idea that maybe, just maybe, he deserved the fallout and all of the resentful feelings attached. As much as he’d like to keep it, these warmer sensations and softer moments, he had to consider the reality that he maybe didn’t deserve to. It was something he considered quite often. Too often.

Did he deserve to get what he wanted?

Isa sighs and admires the neverending sunset before him. He sees bits and pieces of it through cracks in the Twilight Town skyline from his seat at the bistro. Time escapes Isa here sometimes, but it’s empty, the bistro, so it’s either fairly early or fairly late. He’s lost track. No matter the time, Isa sits and enjoys a hot tea, now lukewarm, as time passes him by. 

Things had changed considerably and while he’d expected it, it still took him by surprise at times. There was a sense of ease, a renewed sense of self that was startling. The weight in his chest was something he had reacclimated himself to all over again.Being whole again took some getting used to but he wasn’t complaining. He’d do his best not to squander this second chance. 

Yet, the thought still remained, heavy and intrusive; did he deserve this chance at all?

“Isa,” a voice mercifully interrupts his thoughts. He looks up to see untamed tufts of fire red and a flash of green. He doesn’t realize it, but he smiles. “It’s getting late. Why are you sitting out here by yourself?”

That answers Isa’s previous inquiry. He sits up in his chair and brings his cup to his lips, taking a slow sip. “I’m not done with my tea yet,” he says after swallowing.

Lea takes a seat beside Isa, his usual place. However, he can’t sit normally. He instead turns the chair around and sits with his chest pressed against the chair’s back. Slender body relaxed, long legs spread, the redhead tilts his head to the side and grins his lopsided grin. “Must be good tea.” 

Without missing a beat, Isa retorts, “You might appreciate it....if you haven’t demolished your taste buds with salt.” He teases, of course, but he’s not sure he has room to talk, considering his recent joining of the seasalt ice cream club. Still, Lea’s ingested far more than one person ever should. So, by that standard, Isa has plenty of room to talk, it seems. 

“Oh, ha, ha,” the redhead overextends his words, rolling his eyes. He still grins ear to ear. “Let me try.” 

Isa hesitates but nudges his cup towards his friend. He watches closely as Lea lifts the cup to his lips and takes a rather large sip. He knows instantly that Lea regrets this, his face contorting in disgust. Isa watches with an even expression, brow cocked. He watches Lea struggle to decide if he should spit it out or swallow. Isa watches his friend expectantly until Lea finally swallows hard, tongue flopping out of his mouth in distaste. 

Lea chokes out, “So bitter!”

“Suits me just fine.”

Isa sees the gears turning and knows Lea has some sort of snarky retort brewing, but he’s biting his lower lip and saying nothing. He expects it but it doesn’t come. He’s holding back. “Well?” 

Lea grins. “Well what?”

“Your witty comeback. It’s there...somewhere. Spit it out.” Despite his expression and his cold delivery, there’s a hint of teasing in his voice. He expects it. He’s waiting for it. He’s known Lea long enough to know what that stupid look on his face means. He was gearing up for something. Engines revving, he’s just waiting for the perfect time to deliver his zinger.

“Bitter,” Lea snorts, crossing his arms over the top of the chair and leaning his cheek against his forearm. “Being bitter ‘suits me just fine,’”a pause, another snort and Lea is laughing until his cheeks are tinted red. 

That’s it? Isa looks almost disappointed at the less than stellar counter. Instead of thinking any further into it, he shakes his head and sighs. “Not your best work, Lea,” Isa hums quietly, taking another sip of his tea, which he had retrieved while Lea lost himself in laughter. “Even by your standards, that was lackluster.” 

“Hey!” 

There’s a moment of silence before they both begin to laugh. Isa’s laugh is more reserved while Lea’s is wild and loud. They share this moment together and there’s an air of sentimentality that warms Isa to his core. It...warms his heart.

What an odd feeling, an odd and familiar feeling. 

Their laughter subsides and they’re left in a comfortable silence. In these quiet moments, Isa reminisces about times long since past. He remembers Lea then and he remembers moments and he can faintly recall the feelings attached. As he remembers, he finds himself staring at Lea. Time had not stolen that fond familiarity and for that, Isa was thankful. Despite all of the ugly things that had happened, all of the darkness and loss of self, he was still allowed to keep the one thing he cherished. Somehow, he was allowed to see Lea on the other side of jealousy and regret. He had a chance to mend what bitterness had broken.

Despite the poor delivery, maybe Lea was right. Isa just wouldn’t say that out loud. 

Even after his cup is empty, the two sit together. They share idle conversation, simple pleasantries, before Lea decides to alter the course of their conversation. “Does it hurt?” 

The question comes out of nowhere. Isa’s confused at first until he notices the redhead’s line of sight. He’s staring at Isa, gaze uninterrupted, eyes sympathetic. It doesn’t take much more for Isa to figure out what Lea’s referencing. 

He shakes his head, running his fingertips along the rim of his empty cup. “No,” he finally responds. He finds it hard to maintain eye contact with Lea and he’s not sure why. He relents and tilts his head downward. “It hasn’t hurt in a long time. It just...is.” 

Before Isa can process what’s happening, Lea’s hand is reaching towards him. It takes him by surprise but he does not recoil. He lets the moment play out. Lea’s left hand dips down, two fingers settling beneath Isa’s chin. He angles his friend’s face upward just so, just enough for their eyes to meet. Isa holds his breath as Lea’s right hand almost floats towards his face. Even still, Isa does not shy away. He trusts the redhead more than anyone. 

“Sometimes,” Lea begins, his voice uncharacteristically soft, “I could swear it’s fading.” The tips of Lea’s fingers meet Isa’s forehead and they glide down the shape of Isa’s scar, from left to right first and back up the opposite way. Lea touches him gently, carefully, as if he’s something precious and fragile, and Isa bites back a shiver. “In the right light, it looks like it’s not even there.” 

Isa is in awe of Lea’s fascination. He watches the redhead intently. He wants to commit this moment, every single aspect of it, to memory. He never wants to forget this gentility, this sense of closeness. It feels surreal, almost ethereal.

He finds himself smiling at Lea’s words. The redhead’s fingers still dance along his scar slowly while Isa struggles to find the words to reply. It’s not Lea’s movements that distract him; it's the loud, uncontrollable pounding of his heart within him. It’s unruly and unwavering. It’s such an irrational thing, a heart. It’s a beautiful burden. 

Finally, Isa speaks. “I’ve accepted it a long time ago. Faded or not, it’s a part of me.” There’s a moment between hs words where he considers what he’s about to say. Half a heartbeat, maybe less, and he consciously makes the decision. “Just like you are.” 

He waits for laughter, wait for a playful jab. He waits for Lea’s hand to retract, waits for this moment to end, but it doesn’t. None of that happens. Instead, he feels Lea’s hands slide into a new position, cradling either side of Isa’s face. His hands are warm, so warm, and Isa feels himself leaning into this gentle caress. He struggles to read Lea’s expression, unable to decipher the emotions behind it. He wonders what’s going through the redhead’s mind, yet he’s unwilling to ask, unwilling to tear apart such a tender moment with any sound at all. He decides he doesn’t need to know, not yet.

Lea’s fingers gently press into Isa’s face. There’s a fondness in his expression and it fills this quiet moment with something more profound than either of them expect. Lea traces indistinct patterns along Isa’s face and Isa exhales, the entire world melting away. Nothing exists in this moment but them, just them. This moments exists only for them.

It seems Lea also took a few moments to consider his next move. Yet, his hesitance exists for less time than Isa’s had, as he decides then to lean forward and press his lips to Isa’s. He refuses to hesitate for a second longer. They had lost too much time already. Too much distance had been placed between them, things beyond their control. 

They kiss one another, one no more than the other and time slows. Isa lifts a hand and threads his fingers through Lea’s hair. The added point of contact makes him shiver, but he refuses to fight against the feeling this time. He lets it run its course through him, from head to toe.. The kiss maintains its gentility while the level of heat begins to climb. They lean into one another, a sense of need and urgency growing between them. Deeper and deeper, they fall into one another, spiraling out of control faster than they realize. It’s happening too fast, yet they both will it to happen faster, everything all at once. 

There is no battle for supremacy, no need to win or lead or conquer. They move and act as one. Their lips fit perfectly, slotted effortlessly against one another. It feels like they’ve been connected for an eternity, as if they had always belonged this way.

However, the need for air becomes an issue neither of them could avoid. Breathlessly, they allow their lungs to fill with the crisp twilight air as they reluctantly pull away from one another. Their eyes meet as they fight to catch their breath, a losing battle. Lips swollen, pupils dilated, the two share a moment together, quietly, as one. 

It’s Lea who breaks the silence, which does not surprise Isa. “You’re a part of me too,” he says between huffs and puffs. He leans his forehead against Isa’s, cheeks flushed and heart racing. He offers his friend a sincere smile, brushing his fingertips down along Isa’s jawline and neck. “A really important part, you know, so you can’t disappear on me again. Got it memorized?” 

Isa chuckles and continues to lean into Lea’s touch. “Always have to get the last word in, don’t you?” 

“Of cou--” Before Lea can finished his triumphant retort, Isa grips Lea’s shirt collar and tugs him into an authoritative, though cloying sweet kiss. Lea hums against Isa’s lips, satisfied with having his breath stolen in such a way. Their lips part much sooner than the first time, the redhead still smiling, still glowing in the twilight’s glow. 

Time continues to pass them by. It does so slowly, unapologetically. In this moment, this fragile moment, Isa decides that this is not only what he deserves, but what they deserve. 


End file.
